Technically, the products in this image are actually from two separate hauls, both placed via group order:
For pictures of everything unboxed, please see Part I here |
In this post:
- What I purchased, with lots of pictures, and why I purchased it (Part I)
- Upcoming blog posts about specific products from this haul (Part I)
- How much it cost, and how much I saved compared to regular channels (Part II)
- How I found the items I wanted, and where I purchased from (Part II)
- My experience working with Avecko, including a small snafu (Part II)
When I was asked to do this review, the most frequently asked questions were: how much did it cost, and where did I get it? So let's get to it!
How much it cost, and how much I saved compared to regular channels
Both hauls were done via group order, so someone acted as the 'hub' and had our Avecko orders shipped to them, and then they shipped them in turn to us, which was an added cost you could avoid by shipping it directly from Avecko to you.
When looking at this info, and planning your own haul, you need to understand that shipping is going to be a huge factor in your costs, so I recommend you check out the rates on KoreaPost to estimate what your shipping (from Avecko to you) is going to be, so you can compare it to regular channels. Keep in mind most vendors 'pad' the list price of their products to comp some of the shipping costs, whereas Avecko isn't making any profit beyond the 10% buying fee and will be charging you the actual shipping cost.
For the 'retail' cost, I used the cheapest regular channel I could find, including ebay, amazon, and vendors like RoseRoseShop, Testerkorea, KoreaDepart, BeautyNetKorea, etc. Whoever was cheapest is my control group, including shipping, so this is accurate to what it would have actually cost me, best case scenario.
Haul #1:
So since my total was $136.14 vs $262.63 via regular channels, I paid 46.95% less.
It's even more dramatic for Haul #2:
So my total was $136.69 vs $322.58 via regular channels** I paid 57.63% less.
**The Hanbang set would have had to be ordered through somewhere like Testerkorea, who charges regular retail for the item, not the holiday special sale price I paid.
Speaking of special holiday sale prices, that brings us to the next topic:
How I found the items I wanted, and where I purchased from
I'm not going to be linking the exact product pages where I purchased my goodies from, not because I don't want to share, but because they're all broken now. (Nooooooo!) Memebox's Korean site has rearranged all the link locations, and everything else was part of the various holiday sale specials that were active while I was placing my order.
That doesn't mean that you can't find similar good deals, it's just going to take some digging. I made purchases from the following sites:
http://www.wemakeprice.com/
http://www.memebox.com/
http://shinsegaemall.ssg.com
http://www.gsshop.com/
So how did I find what I wanted? Honestly, by following the Guide to Shopping for Hard-to-Find Korean Products When You Don’t Known Korean that Kahime and I made, specifically using Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to copy and paste the key search terms I wanted to find into their site search, since most KR sites have right click disabled, browsing through their inventory, and a lot of liberal use of Google Translate. I found that the Chrome extension (the one that is a button, not just the built-in one) worked on even the most stubbornly coded Korean sites to at least give me an idea of what I was looking at.
I warn you, it's not fast. I approach it with the same attitude as combing through thrift stores and ebay for vintage treasures; you need patience, creativity, and enjoy the unending thrill of hunting down a excellent deal. It took me over a month to prepare and research all the items that I wanted, and I enjoyed the process of curating my hauls.
If you're really frustrated or unable to find a product that you know is available (and overpriced), you can also ask Avecko to source it for you, if you have a link to it from the regular vendor. That's how I found the OST C20 Vitamin C serum at a good price; Avecko hunted it down for me after I linked it off a regular vendor's site. Which brings us to the last segment:
My experience working with Avecko, including a small snafu
Overall, my experience with Avecko was hugely positive. I guess the fact that I ordered from them twice is a bit of a spoiler!
The only hiccup that I experienced was that our second order coincided with the relaunch of their website, and our contact Hena was reassigned mid-order to work on it. So our order was given over to Ray, who is their manager (I think?). Ray was also very polite and friendly, but there ended up being a mix-up with our order that cost us extra shipping (through no one's fault, it was a misunderstanding) but it was a direct result of a very large, complex order switching hands in the middle of it. Communications were jumbled, and we had a little hiccup as a result.
Additionally, they took it upon themselves to meet us halfway despite their very small profit margins, so I am very impressed with their customer service and since the relaunch of their site was a temporary circumstance, I am confident when I order from them again, it will be a completely smooth transaction.
And I will definitely be ordering again; they're absolutely sweet, lovely, earnest people (Hena especially, she's so adorable I just want to fold her up in a napkin and tuck her in my pocket, but not in a creepy way ... she's just so friendly and good-natured!) and their service is excellent.
Let me know if you have any questions, or if there's something particular you'd like to see reviewed!
All the best,
-Cat
**Disclaimer: All products reviewed/mentioned in my blog, are 100% purchased with my own money, with a single exception of a press sample I tested & reviewed in 2015 which swore me off of them forever. This blog contains both affiliate and non-affiliate links, and clicking the former before you shop means that this blog may receive a small commission to assist in this blog supporting itself. Please see my Contact Info & Disclaimer policy for more information.
HI --Am really enjoying your blog. FYI on the Avecko--they were offering the Joseon cream for 12.63 http://www.avecko.com/product/03-beauty-of-joseon-dynasty-cream-option-no-1/ and i ordered back on april 30th. it was in stock then. they charged me but nothing arrived. i've sent them 4 emails over the past week and nothing. does this sound odd? thnx
ReplyDeleteHm, I know the Joseon cream has been selling out in a lot of places, so it's possible that they had to wait to get it in. Did they reply to you? I would keep trying to reach them using the email on their website.
DeleteHi I am in the process of making an Avecko order, but I have a question- When you completed filling out all of the information about the products, did you receive a confirmation email directly afterwards or did it take some time? I got the "Thanks we'll review your information and connect with you soon" message but I did not receive an email and it has been almost 24 hours. Just wondering what your experience was in that regard. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the orders I have made were not through their new system so I can't comment on the time it takes from submission to email, but I can tell you that it would usually take a few days for them to check all the links and prices, send me an email with the updates changes, then I would reply, and then I would get the invoice email for the purchases.
DeleteIf it's been only 24 hours, that's not going to be enough time for them to cross-check all your links and prices to determine that everything is available and is at that price. Sometimes KR sites have things like "this price is for customers with a shop credit card/coupon" so the actual price is higher than what is displayed in the large font, and you have to hunt down the 'small print' price.
Generally, I give my initial order a week or so to hear back on any corrections and a final number. There's a lot of legwork they have to do, since they're a small company. :)
Hi there!
ReplyDeleteI'll curtail my admiration for your blog for now, and just get to the point:
Where can I purchase the LJH Dr's Cleansing Oil? It isn't anywhere on Amazon or the LJH site anymore. It seems to be the swear-to product for all my skin twins, (and you're one, halleluyerrr).
Thanks!
Eeep! Maybe reach out to LJH on their US site and ask? I've been using the Cremorlab for ages so I haven't had to replace my LJH oil.
DeleteHey Cat, thanks for responding and for the tip. Turns out they've renamed it Cellabel MC Cleansing Oil. I'm not sure if it is a reformulation or what, though.
DeleteYou mentioned in this post getting Avecko to source for a product (the Vitamin C serum). Does this mean they find the best price for the product? I am assuming they don't scour the internet as diligently to find the best deal, right?